One or more balancing objects are provided having an arcuate roof onto which a user may step and a pair of sidewalls to support the roof. The arcuate roof is shaped such that a portion of a user's foot will contact the balancing object when standing on the roof, thereby challenging the user to maintain balance in a more unsteady state than when standing flat-footed. The sidewalls extend downwardly from lateral side regions of the arcuate roof and preferably have a concave profile extending laterally towards one another to provide superior strength to the balancing object when loaded under a user's weight. A frictional overmold may be formed over the arcuate roof to provide a frictional surface preventing a user's footwear from slipping off of the balancing object. Multiple balancing objects may be positioned on a flat, horizontal surface in a variety of orientations such that the user can target certain muscle groups to train for improving balance and proprioception.
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9. A balancing device, comprising:
an arcuate roof extending upwardly from opposed footings to an apex thereof, the arcuate roof having opposed lateral side regions; and
a pair of non-parallel sidewalls extending downwardly from the lateral side regions of the arcuate roof and having an inner surface and an outer surface, the sidewalls combining with the arcuate roof to define an enclosed space, the inner surface having an emboss formed thereon and the outer surface having a deboss formed therein and configured to matingly receive the emboss of another balancing device therein to secure the two balancing devices together when one balancing device is placed substantially within the enclosed space of the other balancing device.
2. A balancing device, comprising:
an arcuate roof extending upwardly from opposed footings to an apex thereof, the arcuate roof having an upper surface, a lower surface and opposed lateral side regions, and a longitudinal centerline extending between the opposed footings
at least one arcuate bracing rib formed on the lower surface of the arcuate roof and extending from a point proximal to one of the opposed footings of the arcuate roof to a point proximal to the other of the opposed footings of the arcuate roof; and
a pair of non-parallel sidewalls extending downwardly from the opposed lateral side regions of the arcuate roof to form base edges of the sidewalls, the sidewalls combining with the arcuate roof to define an enclosed space;
wherein a base perimeter edge of the device formed by the opposed footings of the arcuate roof and the base edges of the sidewalls presents a shape that is non-circular.
1. A device for improving the balance and proprioception of a user, comprising:
an arcuate roof extending upwardly from opposed footings to an apex thereof, the arcuate roof having an upper surface, a lower surface and opposed lateral side regions, and a longitudinal centerline extending between the opposed footings;
a pair of sidewalls each having an outer surface and an inner surface and extending downwardly from the lateral side regions of the arcuate roof, the sidewalls combining with the arcuate roof to define an enclosed space, and the sidewalls having a concave profile extending laterally towards one another;
an emboss formed on each sidewall inner surface; and
a deboss formed on each sidewall outer surface and configured to matingly receive the emboss of another balancing device therein to secure the two balancing devices together when one balancing device is placed substantially within the enclosed space of the other balancing device.
3. The device of
4. The device of
5. The device of
6. The device of
7. The device of
8. The device of
a emboss formed on the sidewall inner surface; and
a deboss formed on the sidewall outer surface and configured to matingly receive the emboss of another device therein to secure the two devices together when one device is placed substantially within the enclosed space of the other device.
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None.
None.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to balance improving devices, and more specifically, to balancing objects that may be oriented in various arrangements to provide balance training.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
The maintenance of physical fitness is of ever-increasing importance in our modern society. Scientific studies have shown that achieving good physical condition through exercise provides a person with increased energy and strength while reducing stress. One important component of physical condition is acquiring strong balance. Many muscle groups of the body are involved in maintaining a person's balance, especially when their body is in motion or in an otherwise relatively unbalanced state (e.g., standing on one foot). By practicing certain balance improving techniques, targeted muscle groups may be strengthened, improving a person's ability to control their body when engaging in a wide variety of activities, such as playing sports, exercising, lifting objects, etc. Therefore, improving balance—especially through activities that require motion—indirectly increases a person's flexibility and improves their proprioception
A common scheme for practicing balance improvement is to step from one raised “balancing” object to another, or alternately between a raised object and a stable, broad flat surface. This method involves many major muscle groups, including those in a person's legs, abdomen and back, and as such, is highly beneficial in developing strong balance. Optimization of these types of balance improvement techniques may be achieved through designing raised objects that are structurally stable and can accommodate a user standing on the object, but with a shape that challenges the user to maintain their stance in equilibrium.
One or more balancing objects having an arcuate roof are presented for improving a user's balance and proprioception. A user may step from the arcuate roof of one object to the arcuate roof of another object, or may stabilize their position by standing on one or two of the balancing objects, thereby training and developing targeted muscle groups. The balancing objects generally take the form of a shell with the arcuate roof on which the user stands spanning the length of the shell, and sidewalls formed along the sides of the arcuate roof to maintain the structural integrity of the object. The combination of the arcuate roof and sidewalls define an enclosed space for the object into which another balancing object may be inserted so that a number of balancing objects may be stacked together.
In one aspect, the sidewalls are configured to maintain the structural integrity of the balancing object. The sidewalls extends downwardly from side edges of the arcuate roof and have a concave profile extending laterally inward towards the enclosed area. The shape of the sidewalls reduce the tendency of the arcuate roof and the sidewalls to collapse or fold downward when a person applies their weight to the roof of the balancing object.
In another aspect, a frictional rubber or plastic overmold is disposed on a top surface of the arcuate roof. The frictional overmold has a surface that provide for betting gripping of a user's footwear when stepping onto the balancing object; the frictional surface may further have a series of raised ridges providing improved traction with the footwear. The overmold may also be extended to wrap around opposed footings of the arcuate roof such that bottom edges of the sidewalls are raised above a horizontal surface onto which the object is placed. In this way, the friction provided by the overmold contacting the horizontal surface will inhibit the balancing object from sliding across the horizontal surface when a user steps onto the object.
In another aspect, one or more bracing ribs are formed onto a bottom surface of the arcuate roof to provide structural reinforcement to prevent downward collapsing of the roof when loaded. Each bracing rib extends longitudinally along the arcuate roof bottom surface and may extend substantially from one base end of the roof to the opposed base end.
In another aspect, each sidewall of the balancing object has a emboss formed on an inner surface thereof, and a corresponding deboss formed on an outer surface thereof and configured to matingly receive the emboss of another balancing object to secure the two balancing objects together when one object is placed within the enclosed space of the other object.
Thus, the balancing object of the present invention provides a stable structure while challenging the user with an arcuate roof for developing varying degrees of balance. A user standing with their foot generally centered on and aligned longitudinally with the arcuate roof can engage in flexion and extension with their foot to improve more degrees of their balance. Two or more balancing objects may also be positioned relative to each other at any orientation (e.g., forward and back, laterally, diagonally) on a generally horizontal surface and the user may repeatedly step from one object to the other to develop dynamic balance and proprioception.
One balancing object of one embodiment of the present invention is shown generally at 10 in
In one preferred arrangement, a frictional overmold 20 made of a rubber or plastic material, or combination thereof, is affixed to the shell 12 and enshrouds the arcuate roof 14 with a shape that is generally the same as the shape of the underlying roof 14. The overmold 20 covers essentially the entire upper surface 22 of the arcuate roof 14, as shown in
The opposed footings 24 of the arcuate roof 14 enshrouded by the frictional overmold 20 generally have a convex profile extending away from one another or longitudinally outward along Centerline CL. Conversely, the sidewalls 16 generally have a concave profile extending laterally towards one another. This configuration for the opposed footings 24 and the sidewalls 16 provides the balancing object with superior strength as compared to a traditional spherical dome design in that the sidewalls 16 and arcuate roof 14 are more resistant to folding or collapsing downward when loaded by a user standing longitudinally on the roof 14.
In an alternative arrangement, the opposed footings 24 may have a concave profile and the sidewalls 16 may have a convex profile while still achieving the strength advantages over a traditional spherical dome design. Furthermore, one of the opposed footings 24 or the sidewalls 16 may alternatively have a straight-line profile. However, at least one of the arcuate roof footings 24 and the sidewall base edges 28 should not have a convex profile, so that a base perimeter edge 32 of the balancing object 10 is formed into a shape that is non-circular and preferably non-elliptical.
A pair of bracing ribs 34 are shown in
An illustration of the first and second balancing objects 10′, 10″ in use is depicted in
As such, the balancing objects 10 of the present invention provide an individual with a superior tool for the development of static and dynamic balance, and proprioception. The balancing objects 10 have a shape that allows for various foot positioning on the arcuate roof 14 to more fully train the muscle groups of a user necessary for achieving strong balance. The shape and configuration of the balancing objects 10 also provide a design that is strong, yet lightweight, and easily portable with multiple objects 10 stackable together.
Since certain changes may be made in the above invention without departing from the scope hereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. It is also to be understood that the following claims are to cover certain generic and specific features described herein.
Guild, Tobin N., Kemery, Michael C.
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Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
Sep 05 2003 | GUILD, TOBIN N | NIKE, Inc | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 014548 | /0481 | |
Sep 05 2003 | KEMERY, MICHAEL C | NIKE, Inc | CORRECTION OF ASSIGNOR KEMERY S LAST NAME | 015757 | /0235 | |
Sep 11 2003 | KEMERLY, MICHAEL C | NIKE INTERNATIONAL, INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 014548 | /0466 | |
Sep 11 2003 | GUILD, TOBIN, N | NIKE INTERNATIONAL, INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 014548 | /0466 | |
Sep 11 2003 | KEMERLY, MICHAEL C | NIKE, Inc | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 014548 | /0481 | |
Sep 16 2003 | NIKE, Inc | NIKE INTERNATIONAL LTD | CORRECTION OF ASSIGNOR AND ASSIGNEE NAME | 015757 | /0197 | |
Sep 16 2003 | GUILD, TOBIN N | NIKE, Inc | CORRECTION OF ASSIGNOR KEMERY S LAST NAME | 015757 | /0235 | |
Sep 22 2003 | Nike International Ltd. | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / |
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